Amazon Prime Video has arrived in SA

Another day, another streaming service. Amazon Prime Video has launched in a slew of new markets, including South Africa… and its pricing is wonderfully aggressive. New users get a free week-long trial, and will pay $2.99 (or around R40) a month for the first six months. The service will cost subscribers $5.99 (around R80) a month thereafter.

The move — which now puts Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 markets — has no doubt been encouraged at least a little by the rampant piracy of Amazon’s unique content like The Grand Tour, the new (ahem) vehicle for Jeremy Clarkson and company which recently took the dubious honour of being the most pirated TV show ever.

What else can SA viewers look forward to binge watching? Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Tumble Leaf, and a healthy selection of movies and older (non-exclusive) TV shows.

Like rivals Netflix and ShowMax, Prime Video offers apps for Android and iOS phones and tablets, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, and a browser version. The mobile apps also allow subscribers to download content for offline viewing.

Prime Video also offers users the option to choose between “Good”, “Better” or “Best” video quality to help control data usage when streaming or downloading content. It’ll also adjust quality dynamically depending on the quality of a user’s connection.

Now if only Amazon would launch its online retail operations in South Africa so we could get the full Prime experience. After all, who doesn’t want overnight bulk loo paper delivery!?